Just a Rumor
by psykostevey999
Summary: When an unknown source spreads a rumor about Heiji being liplocked with a Tokyo girl, Kazuha goes berserk and Conan isn't thrilled either. Epic Fight Scene!
1. The Introduction

_It is a well known fact among all the people that know them that Toyama Kazuha and Hattori Heiji have big, fat ridiculously obvious crushes on one another and they act like a married couple because they might as well be a married couple. This has been the public opinion concerning them since they were kids. And yet, through the years no progress has been made between them to evolve their relationship into what everyone already knows it should be: romantic. For one person in particular the audacious charade had lasted long enough; it was time for them to take the next step, whether they knew it or not._

As Heiji and Kazuha entered the school, having walked there together as they always did, they prepared themselves for the usual onslaught of relentless taunting pertaining to them as a couple. Common jokes were something along the lines of "Hey its Mr. and Mrs. Hattori" or "Come on, how about a kiss you two!" This was not case on this day however. Instead they received friendly nods as they walked through the halls. The guys that saw Heiji merely bumped him on the shoulder and smiled or waved him a quick peace sign. When they finally entered their homeroom, they quickly split up and tried to figure out what was going on.

"Hey you guys, what's with you today?" Heiji asked promptly

"Oh nothing" they all laughed jointly

"I'm serious what the hell is going on?"

"Really Hattori there's no need for modesty, we all heard about your little escapade this weekend."

"Escapade? Would you please enlighten as to my whereabouts on the weekend in question?" he asked, looking increasingly puzzled

"You really are a cocky bastard you know that? Alright fine I will sing your praises for your satisfaction. You were in Tokyo on a case with that detective from the east and you….you know"

"No, I really don't. What are you talking about?" now he was visibly frustrated by the whole situation

"Jeez calm down. We all heard that you"

"He WHAT!" Kazuha can be heard screaming on the other side of the room

"Yeah, I can't believe you didn't know. Your husband shared a kiss with the eastern detective's girlfriend after he asked her to dinner. From what I heard it was very long and passionate" As the group of girls giggled at the thought of such a kiss, Kazuha stared at the floor in complete shock. Heiji noticed and knew exactly what she had heard. He sifted through the hoard of students as fast as he could to reach her, but before he could the bell ran and class began.

Throughout the day, Kazuha spoke little and avoided the topic whenever the rumor was mentioned. Heiji tried his best to relieve her stress by telling it was 'just a stupid rumor made up by some idiots'. But these encouragements were to no avail, and that afternoon he waited nearly an hour for her so they could walk home, but she apparently had no interest in doing so. As he walked home, alone, he had ample time to reflect on what had happened that day. "Is it really that big of a deal? People spread rumors about us all the time but it never seems to bother her. I mean come on, it couldn't be that she's jealous. Why should she be? Even if the rumor was true, wouldn't she be happy that her two best friends were involved like that? I'm sure Kudo wouldn't be" he snickered aloud to himself, then continued "I can only deduce that she's mad at me on behalf of Ran. What if she thinks I took advantage of her emotional state or something? Man, I need to talk to her and clear this up." As he continued home, now at a significantly faster pace, he had know idea that Kazuha had already decided to respond to the rumor in her own way.

_Kazuha is seen standing angrily with her arms folded across her chest tapping her foot impatiently as she awaits the arrival of the next train to Tokyo. She had resolved to go see Ran personally and verify the validity of the rumor._

"I'll show her what happens when you try to steal someone from an expert in Aikido!" Kazuha thought viciously, grinning at the prospect of brutally injuring her, up until today, friend. As the train pulled up, she remained irritated as she remembered the hour or two she would be spending on it. When she found her seat, she lowered herself onto it, while still maintaining her facial expression as well as the position of her arms. The train pulled away from the station, and as she watched her hometown disappear in the distance, she was bombarded by a sudden flash of momentary reason. "Am I being irrational?" she pondered "I mean, what if this really is just a rumor and I'm getting worked up over nothing" As she thought this, her phone rang. She had ignored every call from Heiji since school got out because she knew he would only say the same things he had been saying to her all day. When the number was not one she recognized, she hesitated for a second before finally answering

"Hello?" she said shyly into the phone

"Kazuha!" Heiji yelled into her ear "Kazuha where are you?"

"I have some things to do tonight, what do you want?" her voice was cold and apathetic

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to do something stupid."

"Stupid? Like what?"

"Like snooping around trying find out about that rumor at school. Look it's just a silly rumor, and there is absolutely no way it could be true. So don't go talk to neechan or anything okay? Gotta go, bye" After he hung up, Kazuha found herself twice as suspicious as she was before. "Why was he so concerned about me talking to Ran? And why did he sound so nervous on the phone. It sounded almost like he was…" her face turned red with fiery rage as she clenched her fist and thought "like he was hiding something from me." These suspicions soon morphed themselves into thoughts of her beloved childhood friend, the one she had waited all these years to requite her feelings; the one she was in love with kissing her best friend. "How could they do this to me? How could they betray me like this?" she screamed in her head as a few slow rolling tears migrated down to the bottom of her cheeks. The anger she felt turned to sorrow as she looked out the window and imagined the smiling face of the man she had loved for so long "how could _he_ do this to me". She continued to stare out the window as the afternoon drifted toward dusk and the light of the sun slowly disappeared and gave way to subtle moonlight. She had been on the train over an hour, which meant she was nearing Kyoto. As she sensed her destination approaching, her thoughts reverted back to Ran. "She thinks she can go behind my back and steal Heiji from me? She thinks she can get away with that without any argument from me?" Once again the feelings of anger and scorn swirled around her heart and mind as her hands once again formed fists, this time tighter and more fearsome than before. Her face was coarse and anger stricken, with the remnants of tears still present. The train came to a gradual halt and after a few moments the door opened. Kazuha marched off the train with a fist at each side and a hateful gleam in her eye. She flagged down a taxi and gave him her destination : "the Mouri Detective Agency".


	2. Acting Irrationally

_A distraught Heiji sits at home staring at his phone._

"I haven't seen or heard from her from her since school, and now it's almost dark outside. She hasn't answered her phone either. That Aho is probably just trying to make me worry. She can really be annoying sometimes" Heiji had used thoughts like these to comfort himself for hours at this point. He had grown increasingly worried for Kazuha's safety as the hours had dragged on. "What if she went and did something stupid? I mean she was really mad about that rumor. Wait a minute, she wouldn't have-" he jumped up in fear as he clicked the speed dial on his phone and held it up to his ear, waiting for an answer.

Meanwhile, the night at the Mouri Detective had been calm thus far. It was an ordinary evening; Ran had begun cooking dinner while Conan sat and read articles in the paper that Kogoro had passed out on top of. As he read, he felt the buzz from his phone in his pocket and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Kudo, where's Ran?"

"Uh she's right here cooking, why? What's going on Hattori?"

"Look there's no time to explain everything, just be on the look out for Kazuha. She might be thinking irrationally right now, so be ready"

"Hattori what I this all ab-" Conan stopped talking as he heard the dial tone. Heiji ran outside to his motorcycle and sped off without so much as a word to his parents.

"Where do you think he's going Heizo?" his mother asked with concern

"Knowing him, I'm sure it's related to a case. Let him be, he can take care of himself" Heiji had reached ninety-five miles an hour as he weaved between cars, determined to reach the Detective Agency as soon as possible. He could feel the pressure from the air on his face even with his helmet on. He had never been in this much of a hurry in his life. As he rode he had to seriously contemplate why he was so concerned. "What am I doing? Of course I don't want that Aho to get hurt, but we've been in situations like this before and she's protected without my help. So why now am I so determined to get to her?" He continued to contemplate his motives as he exited the city. He was making great time, "but" he thought, continuing to worry " if she left after school she's probably already there by now, how am I supposed to get there in time?"

"Come on!" he screamed at his motorbike "Can't you move any faster?" As he said this, he turned the throttle as far as it could go, pushing the front end of the bike of the ground, nearly throwing him off. He brought the wheel back into control and continued onward with a fierce look of determination on his face.

_A few minutes earlier, back at the Detective Agency_

After the call from Heiji, Conan looked at his phone thoroughly confused. He looked back at Ran, who looked content as she hummed a song to herself and cut up vegetables. He admired her features, noting that she was wearing a sweater he had sent her a few months prior. Every once in a while he felt obligated to send her a gift, just to make sure she didn't think he had forgotten her in any way. This sweater was emerald green, with a subtle black trim around the collar and the cuffs. He laughed heartily to himself when he noticed that she was still wearing a skirt. "Women are odd" he thought to himself "she's cold enough to wear a sweater yet she hasn't thought to put on warmer pants?" He was snapped back to reality when he heard her say his pseudo-name

"Conan-kun?"

"Uh yeah?"

"I'm going to run to the market to see if I can still pick up and ingredient I need. Can you wake dad up in a few minutes and ask him to stir the vegetables that are on the stove?"

"mhm" he responded as she walked out the door "So, she's not as strange as I thought. She had planned to leave so she put on the sweater. That still doesn't explain why she's wearing a skirt, especially considering how cold it is outside" he shrugged, concluding that he had far over thought a simple matter of apparel.

_Meanwhile, just outside the Detective Agency_

Ran couldn't help but think she was a fool for wearing a skirt when it was so frigid outside. She felt the goosebumps rise up her legs as she began to shiver. The wind blew softly against the back of her legs which only furthered her discomfort. But she trudged ahead, trying to live up to her role as the tough karate champion. As she tried to think of herself as a tough woman, she remembered the sweater she was wearing. Shinichi had sent it to her a few months earlier and she had worn it almost every waking second since then. Deep down she knew that she hadn't even considered the weather when she put it on. She never did. In fact, she had another sweater that was warmer than the one she wearing at home in her closet. But this sweater kept her warm in a different way. "As long as I'm wearing this" she thought, smiling as a subtle blush crept its way onto her face "I almost feel like he's here, holding onto me". She continued on, no longer worried about the cold outside. She could only think about the one person that had dominated her thoughts for so long. The person she worried about constantly. The person she felt cold and alone without. It had been a while since she had seen him, and she was again beginning to worry about his well-being. She shook her head in an attempt to clear her mind for a moment so she could identify where she had walked and how far she was from the store she was going to. She looked around until she noticed the illuminated sign from the grocery store just a few blocks away. She picked up her pace a little bit, realizing that she had slowed down significantly, due to her mental distractions.

_Back at the Agency_

A young woman can be seen standing outside the Detective Agency as a taxi roars away behind her. She glares at the building for a moment before taking a step forward. She makes her way up the stairs and reaches out to knock on the door. She stops short, and her hand returns to her side. She stares through the glass and notices a small figure shaking what appears to be an incapacitated Mouri Kogoro. After the moment of hesitation, the resolve returns to her face and she bangs on the door.


	3. Silhouette

_Time was running out, and he knew it. Heiji couldn't shake the feeling that he was already too late, which only prompted him to go faster. He was already well over the speed limit and had gone over in his head the scenario if he were got caught by a highway patrol officer_

"I might have to lose a cop going this speed" he said aloud to himself "there's no way I can afford to stop and talk to a cop, it'll take too much time. I just have to pray the situation doesn't arise" as he sped on, he could really only think of one thing; Kazuha. "What the heck am I doing? Talking about losing cops to get to her, I mean really, what am I thinking?" After a full hour of riding he still hadn't made any leeway as far as the conundrum he was facing went. His mind was going in circles as he went over the same thoughts in his head over and over again. He had never had to think this hard about anything in his life. Everything had always come so easy to him, so this strenuous mental work came as both a surprise and a nuisance. "None of that matters right now, I'm only ten minutes away from Kudo's place. Just hold on til I get there"

"Oi Conan, go answer the door, my head hurts"

"Of course it does" Conan grumbled spitefully to himself "you've been passed out drunk since this afternoon". As he headed toward the door, the outline on the glass looked similar to Ran, but why hadn't she just let herself in. "Maybe her hands are full" he thought, observing the figure as he drew closer to the door "No, that's not it, I can see clearly that there's nothing in her hands. Wait!" He had taken what Hattori told him an hour earlier and pushed it to the back of his mind

**~Flashback~**

"Look there's no time to explain everything, just be on the look out for Kazuha. She might be thinking irrationally right now, so be ready"

**~End Flashback~**

If this was her, what did she want? Conan was now mere inches from the door, and reached up to turn the knob. He stopped as soon as his skin made contact with it, thinking critically about the situation "If this really is her, what does she want? And if she really is as irrational as Hattori said she was, what is she planning to do once she gets inside" Conan, despite his internal conflict, wound the knob on his right shoe and watched as it sparked with an influx of power. He had to be ready for anything; she was an Aikido expert after all.

He opened the door, revealing a blank faced Kazuha. He analyzed her thoroughly, trying, as a detective would, to gather any possible information about her mental and emotional state before she entered the apartment.

"May I come in?" she whispered, still with no expression to speak of. Conan nodded and moved to the side of the door way so she could enter. She walked in and sat down on the couch. She stared straight forward until Conan sat across from her. "Where's Ran?" she asked coldly, adding to Conan's already sprouting uneasiness. He also noted that she chose not to address her as "neechan" which was abnormal considering that she was addressing a child.

"She went to the store to go get vegetables for dinner. She should be coming back soon" Conan tried to use a childish inflection in his voice in order to gauge her reaction. She didn't smile; she didn't even blink when he spoke.

"Thank you Conan-kun. I'll go and meet her" And with that she walked slowly out the door, closing it behind her. Conan remained seated, in awe of her demeanor. "I've never seen her like that. She wasn't sad, she seemed….reserved. Like she was hiding what was really on her mind. Was that Hattori's idea of irrational?" He quickly ran for the door to stop her before she left. When he got there, she was still standing at the bottom of the stairs

"Kazuha-neechan?" she turned her head and acknowledged him, but kept the rest of her body faced forward. She didn't speak, she just looked at him. "Um…" Conan was again taken back by the apathetic front she had put up "Why are you looking for Ran-neechan?" She kept her eyes locked on his as a single tear fell out of her right eye. This tear hadn't been brought to the surface by any volition of her own. Her facial expression didn't falter in the slightest despite the cold streak he knew that tear had to have left on her face.

"She kissed Heiji. I want to know why" She said this, no longer speaking to Conan as a child, but as a witness. Their eyes stayed linked for a few seconds after that, which concerned Conan. The look in her eyes, he had seen it before. It was the look of intent, and at that moment he knew that the encounter she planned to have with Ran was not going to be simple, friendly banter. As he became lost in his deductions, she strode away at a rapid pace. As his thoughts settled, he realized she had gone and ran down the stairs to find her, but she had already disappeared into the streets.

_Ran, ignorant to the events taking place, strolls down the street, satisfied with the ingredients she had collected and anxious to finish cooking the meal had begun preparing_

She could feel the temperature going down still. It was even colder now than it was when she went into the store. "I can't believe it, I was only there for an hour or so and it's already gotten this much colder?" She once again clutched her chest as she shivered violently. Despite how cold she was, she still didn't regret wearing Shinichi's sweater. She tried to think of something else before her thoughts went back to him. "Hmm…" she thought, with a face that suggested the thought took a large amount of effort "I wonder…oh, I know! I wonder how Kazuha-chan is doing. She is supposed to visit this weekend with Hattori-kun. Those two are just like an old married couple" she giggled to herself as she came around a corner. What she saw next was a figure walking in her direction. It appeared to be two or three blocks away, and with only streetlight, she couldn't make out who or what it was. It just appeared as a silhouette, and she thought little of it.


	4. Prelude to Conflict

_The cold weather had not made any progress in cooling the heated rage that Kazuha felt. It had taken all the mental energy she had to conceal her real emotions from Conan, who, despite his age, had a knack for small details and was incredibly intelligent. When she finally got out of the Detective Agency, she wanted to sprint as fast as she could toward that store, but she was stopped, and, in a moment of weakness, admitted her true motive for meeting with Ran._

"I am such an idiot" she thought to herself, irritated by her lack of secrecy. "Now that kid will probably tell Heiji where I am. Now that I think about it, those two talk a lot, despite their age difference" She walked on, dismissing the thought and keeping the quick pace she had set when she left the Detective Agency. As she walked she tried to feed the fire in her chest that powered her rage and drove her onward. "She kissed Heiji" she kept muttering to herself, letting the words flow from between lips and into her ears. Each time she said it, it made her body tighten up. She could feel the words physically hurting her, aided by the chill in the air. "There's no stopping it now" she concluded, rounding a corner "I came here to confront Ran, and that's exactly what I'm going to do". As she finished her decree, she saw a shadowy figure far off on another street. It was dark, and the lights on the streets were dim at best. She clenched her fists and pressed onward with a full head of steam. The time had come to settle things. That was Ran, it had to be.

_Conan paces the living room, one hand in his pocket while the other grips his chin. He had been perplexed by the words Kazuha had spoken before she left_

"She kissed Heiji" He kept replaying it in his head. "Was she serious? Did he really kiss her? When did that happen and where was I when he did it?" He paced faster as the hypothetical scenarios played in his head, quickly draping his face in a flush of crimson red. The image of Ran and Hattori kissing took him two steps past angry. "What was he thinking? Why would he do that? Does she really feel that way about him? What about…me?" He grimaced at the concept. It left a sour taste in his mouth, so he walked briskly to the kitchen to get some water. When he reached the kitchen, he noticed the vegetables Ran had been boiling had been dried out and the water had disappeared from the pot. 'See what happens when you leave something to him' he thought condescendingly, glaring over at the still passed out Kogoro. After he drank his cup of water, the sourness in his mouth still remained. He didn't know what to do with himself, he couldn't sit, he could barely breathe. He had been known for keeping a calm and collected demeanor in the past, but he never had to deal with anything like this. His best friend had kissed the girl he loved knowing full well that he felt that way about her. He grew more furious with every thought that crossed his mind. Just when he didn't think he could take it anymore, he heard a loud burst of knocks come from the front door. He only knew one person he would be that impatient, Hattori Heiji. And he had a bone to pick with him.

_Heiji, after a long and nerve racking ride to Kyoto had run out of gas just two miles from the Detective Agency. He left the bike and ran the remaining distance on foot. When he finally saw the agency, it appeared calm, so he ran up hurriedly and pounded on the door._

"Kudo!" He yelled, inconsiderate of his situation. He had already scouted the room through the glass and knew there was no one there with him, so he felt no need to call him by his alias. "Answer the door!" he screamed in an almost unstable state. He couldn't wait anymore, so he turned the knob and let himself in. When he walked in his eyes were immediately drawn to Conan, standing in the center of the living room with his hand on his belt. "Where is she? Where is Ran?"

"Why do you need to know!" Shinichi screamed at the top of his lungs as he pressed the button on the center of his belt, unleashing a soccer ball which he promptly kicked at Heiji's head. Heiji dove to the ground, feeling the ball brush against the tallest hairs on his head

"Are you insane! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"When you said 'Watch out for Kazuha' you were only trying to keep me away from her so I wouldn't know the truth. Hattori you bastard you'll pay for what you did!" he proceeded to shoot four balls from his belt and kick them all at Heiji before they touched the ground, forcing Heiji to dodge roll behind the edge of the couch and take refuge there. After the projectiles and safely flown past him he poked his head up cautiously

"You have to listen to me! That was just a rumor at school! It never really happened; someone just spread that to slander me. You have to believe I would never do anything like that" after he finished talking he shuddered behind the couch again, awaiting another barrage, when he heard a small chuckle. It grew louder and then, as he popped his head back up, it became a full and hearty laughter. Heiji, still hiding, stared on in amazement as his friend, who had always strived to show little emotion and keep a consistently calm disposition, had gone from violent rage to hysterical laughter. After another ten or fifteen seconds of laughter, Conan removed his glasses and wiped his eyes, then put his glasses back on and looked at Heiji.

"So that's how it is huh?"

"Yes. And I need to find Kazuha before she does something drastic. Knowing her, she's probably on her way to hunt down neechan and confront her about the rumor."

"But" Conan said with a concerned air in his voice "I don't think Kazuha will be as easily convinced as I was"

"That's precisely what worries"

"Well, let's go, I have an idea where she's going" and the two detectives burst out the door, leaving it swinging open.

"Huh? Who's there? What's going on?" A confused and still inebriated Kogoro asked, looking in every direction. "Oh well, obviously Ran took Conan to eat or something." After reassuring himself, he stumbled over the door to close it, then went back to sleep on the couch, snoring loudly.


	5. Conflict

_As she drew within a block of the shadowy figure, she was able to make out that it was a woman. She appeared to be about her age and body type. She was wearing a sweater and jeans with tie in her hair holding it in a ponytail._

"Tie….ponytail….That's Kazuha-chan!" Ran thought ecstatically as she ran toward her. She cut the distance between them in no time and greeted her genially.

"Kazuha-chan what are you doing here? Don't you have class tomorrow?"

"I just came to ask you something" she replied, once again concealing the emotions she was feeling. "I came to ask you…about Heiji" she stared at her, puzzled by the topic, but nonetheless attentive

"Uh…sure what about him?"

"Did you kiss him?" She asked, on the verge of tears for the third time that day

"What? No, absolutely not! Who told you something like that?"

"Liar!" Kazuha screamed as she unleashed a full force punch at her face. Ran evaded the attack and put her fists up out of instinct

"What are you talking about? Why would I kiss Hattori-kun?"

"Stop Lying!" Kazuha screamed as she threw a series of punches at her following by a sweeping kick at her head which Ran was just barely able to duck under. Now breathing a little heavier, Ran finally remembered that, like her, Kazuha was highly skilled in martial arts.

"Kazuha stop! I don't want to fight you"

"I never asked you if you did" As soon as Kazuha said those words, Ran realized that she was going to be able to convince her she was innocent. The only choice she had, was to fight back

"Fine, you want to spar, I'll be your opponent" They both glared at one another as they took on their ready positions. Ran clenched each hand into a fist and pushed her elbows back, leaving her fists at each side. Kazuha put her left foot forward and balanced her body. She then reached both hands outward, the left further than the right, and both open.

Now they both stood, their hands mere inches away from one another. The air was cold but neither of them seemed to noticed, even when a large gust came blowing through, causing both of their hair and Ran's skirt to flutter in the wind. As the tension grew between them, the only thing audible was the wind as is it whirled through the streets,

_Meanwhile, six blocks behind them_

"So Heiji" Conan asked maintaining his running pace "Why were you so worried about Kazuha today?"

Heiji kept his eyes forward as he said "Something just possessed me earlier. I couldn't get her out of my mind, so I deduced that I something had to be wrong." Conan chuckled to himself, earning him a curious glare from the Western Detective. "What's funny?" Heiji asked crossly

"Nothing, it's nothing"

"Whatdya mean it's nothing, it's obviously something. Just spit it out would ya?" Heiji had noticed in their previous conversations that Shinichi had a way laughing condescendingly at him, which perturbed him to no end

"Look, if you really want to know, it's just….you think so critically of certain situations and yet you fail to make the most obvious discoveries."

"Don't play games with me, tell me what you're talking about" the irritation Heiji felt had continued to build and now he was really losing his patience

"Calm down Hattori. Look, I'll tell you what, if you can't figure it out by the end of the night I'll tell you" Conan grinned at him, trying to appeal to his competitive nature

"Fine" From that point on they didn't talk much, they just ran. Conan kept updating Heiji on their position and how close they were to the store.

_Little did they know, the battle had already begun between the two young women_

The wind settled, and Kazuha lunged at Ran with her right fist, causing Ran to strafe right to avoid it. Ran then turned around and landed a swift kick with her right leg to Kazuha's ribs. Kazuha responded by grabbing her at the calf with both hands and twisting her leg, flipping Ran over onto her hands, with her face towards the pavement. Ran quickly swung her left foot at Kazuha's chin, which Kazuha easily avoided. Kazuha then made a wicked smirk and threw Ran's leg forward, forcing her into somewhat of a handstand. Kazuha reared back and drove her knee deep into Ran's abdomen, causing her to gasp and fly backward. Ran stood up momentarily and gripped her abdomen with one eye clasped shut in pain. Kazuha, with a newfound bode of confidence charged at Ran and prepared herself for a jump kick with her right leg, but before she could jump she found Ran's left fist buried deep in her gut. He coughed and fell to her knees. Ran, after soaking in her victory for a second and calming down, knelt down to check on the physical state her friend was in. When she lowered herself to Kazuha's level, she searched for her eyes, and found instead a vicious grin on her face. Kazuha took both hands and, grabbing Ran by the head, rolled onto her back while pulling Ran's head forward and shot both of her feet into Ran's stomach. The force from the strike shot Ran into the air and flung her forward. She landed on her back a few feet behind Kazuha. As Kazuha rose in triumph, she noticed Ran struggling to get to her feet. When she did stand up, she looked at Kazuha with a competitive smile

"I didn't see that coming" she said, panting and gripping her stomach

"It was kinda my last resort" Kazuha said, still happy about her victory

"Good to know" Ran mumbled. Ran then rose to her full ready position, seemingly unaffected by the previous blows Kazuha had landed.

"What the…" Kazuha stood in awe of her friend's second wind "But how, I just landed three hits directly to the midsection, you shouldn't even be standing"

Without any verbal answer, Ran smiled confidently and lunged at Kazuha. Kazuha was momentarily paralyzed by her utter shock, which was a big enough opening for Ran to land her recently acquired front axe kick. Kazuha did nothing to defend against it and received the full brunt of the attack. She was shot backwards and landed on her back with her head up. She laid there for ten or fifteen seconds shaking in pain before she began to shuffle around on the concrete. Ran had already assumed victory in the fight, and had even turned the other direction for a few seconds. When she turned around to face her supposedly beaten opponent, what she saw was a very bruised, very determined Kazuha. She had managed to get to her feet, but could barely stand. Her knees were shaking incessantly and her head was drooped forward, barely able to face her opponent. Yet there she stood, ready to retaliate. Ran walked over to her with a genuine look of concern. When she was within a feet inches, Kazuha blasted an uppercut with her right hand straight into Ran's chin. Ran was not thrown backwards due to Kazuha lack of strength from the kick she had received. Instead, Ran's head was thrown up, but then, to Kazuha's dismay, she pushed her head back down with Kazuha's fist still under it. They looked at one another and Kazuha began to weep openly as Ran took her in her arms. Ran squeezed her tightly as Kazuha struggled against her to no avail

"No, no I won't forgive you. Why would you do that? Why would you kiss him?" she muttered these words into Ran's with a shaky voice as Ran continued to hold her

"I promise you, Kazuha-chan, that never happened. I would never do that to you" Kazuha felt the sincerity in her voice and relaxed in her arms. They stayed there for a couple minutes after that, until they heard panting coming from behind them.

"Conan-kun? Hattoru-kun? What are you doing here?"

"Heiji-neechan came over and asked if I knew where Kazuha-neechan was. I told him she had gone to see Ran-neechan at the store, so we ran here to find you. Heiji-neechan was worried about Kazuha-neechan" when Conan said this, it would have normally been a perfect place to insert a smug denial of his consideration for her safety. However, he never even considered it. In fact, he hadn't taken his eyes of Kazuha since they had arrived.

"Kazuha! What happened to you!" Heiji said, almost shrieking

"I'm fine…Heiji" she tried her best to articulate but due to her injuries and her fatigue she could barely stay awake, nonetheless talk. She looked up at him as he stared deeply into her eyes. She could tell he had been stressed all day. It seemed he really was concerned about her after all. After she thought this, she slipped out of consciousness.

"Kazuha!" Heiji exclaimed, reaching down to grab her. He took by each shoulder and tried to jar her to consciousness. After a few tries, he accepted that she was out, and released her. He stood still for a moment before taking her from Ran into his arms. He lifted her up off the ground and laid her down across the backside of his forearms, facing upward. He looked at Ran, and after a nod, she rose and the three of them made their way back to the Detective Agency.


	6. As the Dust Settles

When we got back to the Detective Agency, I laid Kazuha on the couch and walked outside to call her father and my mother. When I had confirmed with that Kazuha and I were staying in Tokyo for the night, I went back inside. I looked around and saw Kudo had already gone to bed. Ran was waiting by her door for me to approach her. When I walked up, she offered me her bed. I of course declined the offer and elected to sleep on the floor in the living room in case Kazuha woke up. When neechan had gone to bed, I was left in the living with a seemingly lifeless young woman (aside from the fact that she was breathing deeply and drooling a little). As I took my place on the floor beside the couch, I caught myself looking up at her. She was covered in scrapes and bruises which told the story of a gruesome between her and Ran. I tried to think of a reason why should have done all this when I remembered what Kudo said earlier that night.

**~Flashback~**

"Calm down Hattori. Look, I'll tell you what, if you can't figure it out by the end of the night I'll tell you"

**~End Flashback~ **

I still wanted to know what he was talking about, but it wasn't worth waking him up over. I let the notion go for the time being and I once again took up analyzing Kazuha. I had not noticed until that point the physical features she possessed which were really stunning. She had a beautiful, fit figure and she also had gorgeous hair. I thought about why she always wore it in that damn ponytail, it would look so much better down. As I thought about, I took it upon myself to take out her hair tie so I could make an accurate comparison. Once the tie was out, her hair fell naturally in all directions. I reached up and moved the hair away from her mouth and face. After another couple seconds of staring, I began to consider what might happen if she woke up in the middle of the night. Would she be uncomfortable in this apartment? I didn't want her to panic and wake everyone up like an Aho, so I decided it would be best if I laid on the couch with her so she wouldn't worry if she woke up. Yup, that was the reason; in case she woke I needed to be there with her. I soon realized that there was little room left on the couch, so I decided to sleep sitting up. I gently lifted her head up and slipped in under it. I then let her head fall onto my lap, pinning me onto the couch. I could only hope nothing came up until the next morning. As I watched her sleep, I began to run my fingers through her hair. A significant portion of time passed after that. I can't be sure how long, but it felt like an hour or so. I realized what I had been doing the whole time and almost jumped at the thought. Had I really just been admiring her this whole time? I had stayed awake, watching her sleep and combing her hair with my fingers. But it was just in case she woke up. I didn't want her to freak out or anything, that's why I did it. I repeated that mantra in my head until I eventually let myself doze off.

_Two hours Later_

When I woke up, I first saw the ceiling. I knew by looking at it that I wasn't in my room. When I moved my head to see where I was, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my body. That's when I remembered what had happened. I felt so stupid, fighting my best friend for no reason. What kind friend was I, accusing of her something so awful? I tried to move just my eyes so I could at least figure out where I was. I couldn't see much to my right, but when I looked to my left I saw a green shirt. As my eyes followed the shirt up, it became clear who it belonged to: Heiji. He had fallen asleep with me lying on his lap. I could guess, judging by the circumstances and the fact we were sleeping on a couch that we had stayed at Ran's house. The light was still on, so I assumed Heiji had been waiting for me to wake up before he eventually passed out. As I tried to move, I noticed one of his hands was resting on my head. His fingers were tangled up in hair, which had been taken out of its ponytail. I wondered how long we had been here, and how long he had been waiting for me to wake up. I could feel myself blush a little, embarrassed by the thought of Heiji stroking my hair while he waited for my eyes to open. As I watched him sleep, I could only think about why I had been so angry in the first place. Well, I guess angry isn't really the right word, more like….jealous. When I thought about it, I found that what had really bothered was that I had always imagined myself as his first kiss. I had imagined myself as a lot of things with him, however and they were all just as real as that kiss that he and Ran shared. The thought almost made me tear up, but then I returned my attention to Heiji's sleeping face. If he had sat here and waited for me to wake up, he obviously had to care about me, at least a little. These thoughts caused me strain, so I resolved to think about it more in the morning. I nestled myself further into his lap and went back to sleep, comfortably.


	7. Epilogue

_That weekend, Kazuha and Heiji went to Tokay to visit their friends as planned. When they got their, as usual, Conan and Heiji were left alone while the two girls conversed about various highlights of their weeks. As they talked, a name came up that took Heiji by complete surprise_

"Agasa! You mean Professor Agasa!"

"That's right Hattori; it was Agasa that spread that rumor"

"But how? He's an old man; no one at a high school would take him seriously."

"He used the voice changer to impersonate a student and call one of Kazuha's friends and tell her the gossip. From there it was just word of mouth"

"So you're telling me, that Agasa decided on a whim to infiltrate our personal lives?"

"Well…"

"You put him up to it didn't you?"

"No no no, I was as surprised as you were"

"Then you did?"

"Ai."

"You mean the little girl who got shrunk down like you did?"

"That's the one. Apparently she overheard Ran talking about you two and how unfortunate it was that you two were too arrogant to see the truth of your feelings for one another. So she took it upon herself to come up with a solution"

"Why that dirty little…"

"Relax Hattori, it was all for the better right?"

"Better? Better? Come here you little shrimp I'm gonna show you just how much 'better' I am now"

_As Heiji chased Conan around the Detective Agency and the two girls watched and laughed from the other room, a certain young woman couldn't help but feel a small hint of blissfulness. Sure, she didn't have a boyfriend yet, and ever since the day they talked he had completely denied ever saying anything like what she told him he said. But, despite all of that, she at least had the assurance she had been waiting for. She knew he cared, whether he wanted to admit or not._


End file.
